A fellow co-worker offered up some Amish Friendship Bread starter a couple of months ago. Being ignorant of what it entailed, I agreed to take some on and have fun with it. I didn't realize just how much stuff goes into the base recipe, and I felt sad that I wasn't really a bread but more like a cake. With good cooking self-confidence in hand, I set out to create a true bread with this starter and see where I could go.
Initially, I started by stripping everything away from the recipe and start with the starter, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. I wasn't sure what proportions to use, so I sought out a reputable sourdough recipe (much what I wanted to begin with) and started there. Using that recipe as-is didn't work so well. The bread had good flavor, but it didn't rise at all. Given that Emeril's starter contains active dry yeast and my starter possibly doesn't, I needed to add some sort of leavening agent.
On my next attempt, I added baking soda and baking powder. I added less water than before since my first attempt seemed too wet. This one rose beautifully ... almost too much. Or maybe just the right amount? It tasted wonderful, though.
I've made one or two more attempts with this, and I'm getting closer to an ideal recipe. The bread has very good flavor, but getting the desirable rising has been a problem. I checked my baking powder, and it's still ok despite its age. So, I think I just need to increase the powder/soda in some sort of combination. Added water didn't help, so I'm going to abandon that. If I ever get to a point where the recipe I come up with seems optimal, I'll post it here.
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